Implementing Medicaid Work Requirements Will Cost States Millions And Drive Up Uncompensated Care
The liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said in a new report that the federal government ultimately may save money on the Medicaid waiver programs but that those savings will come entirely from people losing coverage and access to care. Medicaid news comes out of South Dakota, as well.
Modern Healthcare:
States Face Big Costs, Coverage Losses From Medicaid Work Requirements
Implementing Medicaid work requirements will be administratively cumbersome and costly, cause many people to lose coverage and drive up uncompensated care, according to a think tank report issued Wednesday. The liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said implementing so-called community engagement requirements, premiums and other new conditions will cost states and the federal government tens of millions of dollars for eligibility system changes and increased staff to track compliance and handle appeals. (Meyer, 5/23)
Modern Healthcare:
South Dakota Adds A Safety Net To Its Medicaid Work Requirement Waiver
South Dakota is joining the line of non-expansion states seeking to impose work requirements on its Medicaid beneficiaries. However, unlike the others, it developed a strategy to avoid the so-called subsidy cliff, which has been a challenge for other waiver proposals. Under the state's draft proposal posted on its website for comment, it would launch a pilot work requirement program for Medicaid recipients living in Minnehaha and Pennington Counties, two of the state's most populous areas. (Dickson, 5/23)
